Vehicle-wheel and tire member therefor.



I. W. OFELDT'. VEHICLE WHEEL AND TIRE MEMBER. THEREFOR. APPLICATION FILED DEG. 26, 1911.

1,056,294. Patented Mar.18,1913.

FRANK w. OFELDT, OI'IHOBOKENI, NEW JERSEY.

VEHICLE-WHEEL AND TIRE MEMBER THEREFOR.

To a?! whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, FRANK XV. OFELDT, a citizen of the United States of- America, and resident of Hoboken, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, "have -invented-a certain new and useful VehicleJVheel and T ire Member Therefor," of which the following is a" specification.

My invention relates to vehicle ..Wheelsand tire members therefor.

The improved wheel is particularly designed for use on heavy vehicles,'such as heavy motor trucks, wherein great tire vresiliency is not required, but-great load-carry 'ing capacity and ample traction is required.

According to'my invention the rim of the .wheel is providedwith a plurality of transverse traction members consisting of short pieces of cablewire cable by preferencehaving at their ends depressed portions by which such members are secured to the wheel; rim. By preference, these traction members are located between strong transarranged bars of less height than but of height sufl'icient to prevent undue spreading of the said traction members.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved wheel, and an improved traction member therefor, of great load-carrying capacity, and of great durability, which shall provide ample traction between the Wheel and theroad bed, and shall be relatively inexpensive.

I will now proceed to' describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will then point out the novel features in claims.

' In the drawings: Figure 1 shows an elevationof a portion of the rim of a wheel provided with traction members such as be forereferred to and Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section of such portion of the rim, and traction members thereof, the traction members being shown, in Figs. 1 and 2. as arranged obliquely. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the traction members arranged parallel to the axis of the whee.- Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing reinforcing bars between which the traction members are located. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing remforcing bars between-which a traction member is located; and .Fig. 6 is a longitudinal Specification of Letters Patent. Application-fi1ed DeceinHer 26, 1911.

1 and 2, or may be parallel Patented Mar.1s,1913. Serial No. 657,930.

- section of the .portion shown in Fig. 5. Fig.

7. shows a, longitudinal section ofone-of the traction members; i

Referring first to Figsal and 2, the wheel there shown comprises arim 1, preferably a' metallic rim, upon which are mounted-a plurality of traction members 2 consisting of short sections of cablepreferably wire cable composed of stranded members 3 wound helically about a core 4, the strands 3 and core 4 being welded together .at'the ends, such welded portions being flattened and depressed, and provided with holes through which and through corresponding holes in the rim 1, screw bolts 6 are passed, to hold these traction members to the rim. These traction members are arranged transversely with respect to the rim of the wheel, and may be arranged at a slight angle to the axis of the wheel, as illustrated in Figs. to the axis of the wheel, as shown in F 3.

At the present time most motor trucks and other motor vehicles designed to carry heavy loads, are provided either with solid rubber tires or with steel tires. Experience has shown that the life of the solid rubber tire is very brief when such tire is forced to carry heavy loads, while the cost of'such tires is very great. Furthermore, while such solid rubber tires have suflicient adhesion to a dry road bed, they do not have suiiicient adhesion when the road bed is slippery; as, for example, when theroad bed is covered with ice or oil or slime. The durability of the steel tire is of course greater than that of the rubber tire, but the steel tire is without resiliency, and gives suflicient adhesion to the road bed only when such road bed is dry and is not' slippery. I have found that wheels provided-with traction members such as described, provide ample adhesion to the road bed and therefore ample traction, even when the road bed is quite slippery; that while somewhat less resilient than the rub:

ber tire, they do provide a certain amount of resilience; that they wear for along time before replacement is required-in fact, may be worn down to or nearly to the center before they need be replaced, and, their'cost being low, they may be replaced at small expense; Furthermore, it is a simple matter to replace them. Ihave also found that they cause less injury to Macadam and like road beds than do the spurs with which meta-liired wheels are sometimes provided to secure adhesion to the road bed.

Preferably. and as indicated in Figs. 4-6 inclusiregthese traction members 2 are located between solid metal bars 7 of a height approximating half the initial height of the traction members 2. These bars I prevent lateral spreading or flattening of the traction members 2, and so greatly prolong the life of suclrtraction members.

What I claim is 1. A Wheel comprising a substantially u'nyielding rim having secured to it traction members comprising transversely arranged sections oi? stranded cable secured at their ends to said rim and extending across the "face of said rim, resting upon said face. 4

A Wheel comprising a rim having upon it traction members comprising sections of cable having flattened and depressed end portions provided with means whereby said traction members may be secured to the rim.

3. A Wheel comprising a rim having upon it traction members comprising lengths of metallic cable composed of strands united together at the ends of such membersythe end portions of such members being flattened and depressed and provided with means whereby said members may be secured to the rim. I

4. A Wheel comprising arim having upon it traction members comprising sections of inccnee cable, said rim also provided with bars lo cated on opposite sides of such traction members and adapted'to prevent undue s ding thereof.

5. A wheel comprising a rim. ban/"in. uponv it traction members comprising lei metallic cable composed of strands u i gether at the ends of such members said rim also provided with bars located on opposite sides of such traction members and ot a. height less thanthe initial. height. of such traction'members and ada ted to ii-event undue spreading thereof.

6. A traction member ing of a length of metallic cable composed of strandsumted together at the ends, the

end'portions of such traction member being In testimony whereof I have signed this i specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

Flliilfllll W. UFELDT. ""Witnesses:

LEO J. MATTY, D. A. DAVIES.

for Wheels consist- 

